Bibio – Silver Wilkinson
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Acoustic Guitar
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Released in 2011 on Sub Pop Records Produced by Phil Ek and Fleet Foxes Format: LPx2 Includes large foldout poster
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Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Information: Originally released in 1963 on Columbia This pressing was released in 2001 on Sundazed records Format: LP, 180g, Mono
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Sandy Bull – Fantasias for Guitar and Banjo
On his debut album, the guitar and banjo virtuoso starts off with a 22-minute droning epic fusing American and Arabic Folk music with Indian Raga on his acoustic guitar (often trying to imitate the feeling of the oud). Here, he is accompanied by the fluid, driving drums of Billy Higgins. Side 2 is made up of 4 shorter solo pieces, mostly for the banjo, including an impressive rendition of “Carmina Burana” by German composer Carl Orff and a folky mountain song.
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John Martyn – Solid Air
British singer-songwriter John Martyn fuses folk, jazz, and psychedelic experimentation to create an album that is both eclectic and cohesive, tied together by his flowing voice and virtuosic acoustic guitar fingerpicking.
FFO Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Ryley Walker
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Julie Byrne – Not Even Happiness
Julie Byrne’s gentle new-age folk is so light and airy it’s easy to miss its depth, but repeated listening shows that it’s strength lies in its weightlessness. Her soothing voice and delicate fingerpicking are enveloped in warm string arrangements, all tied together by soft reverb and pristine production that makes for an inviting, peaceful listen every time.?
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Do Make Say Think – You, You’re a History in Rust
LP, Released in 2007 on Constellation Records
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Six Organs of Admittance – Asleep on the Floodplains
Pastoral psychfolk from guitar master Ben Chasney. Here his serene acoustic fingerpicking is occasionally accompanied by harmonium drones and trippy guitar overdubs, but overall the album is extremely sparse and meditative.
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Gimmer Nicholson – Christopher Idylls
Performed on acoustic guitar and an early delay pedal, Christopher Idylls is a soothing, reflective way to ease into the morning. It fits somewhere between ambient, new age, and American primitive guitar.
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Holy Sons – Survivalist Tales
Album Information: Released in 2011 on Partisan Records Produced by Emil Amos Jeff Stuart Saltzman recorded tracks B1, B3, B5 and mixed track A2. Ash Black Buffalo – Synths on A1, B1, B4 and B5 All other instruments by Emil Amos A3 written by The Troggs Recommended Tracks: Slow Days, Look of Pain!, Reckless Liberation
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John Fahey – Volume 6: Days Have Gone By
Album Information: Released in 1967 on Takoma Records Includes 15-page book of stories and song notes
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Neil Young – Comes a Time
Country-tinged love songs that feel like a continuation of Harvest
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John Fahey – Volume 1: Blind Joe Death
Album Information: Released in 1967 on Takoma Records This album was originally released on 100 copies in 1959, but was re-recorded in 1967 for this issue This album is included in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for being considered culturally significant.
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Shakti – Shakti with John McLaughlin
Shakti means “Creative Intelligence, Beauty & Power” and trust me, these are all in abundance on these devotional jazz ragas. Featuring John McLaughlin joined by a quartet of Indian master musicians, this album is a blissfully uplifting and meditative release.
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Shakti – Natural Elements
In this energizing exploration of Hindustani classical music from a jazz perspective, John McLaughlin joins a virtuosic trio of Indian musicians who inspire some of the most impassioned and impressive playing of his career. His acoustic guitar shredding veers close to the bendy sounds of the sitar and fits nicely with the dense web of percussion created by Vikku Vinayakram and Zakir Hussain. Violinist Lakshiminarayana Shankar’s emotive themes and fiery solos make him a perfect foil to McLaughlin.
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Mdou Moctar – Sousoume Tamache
Guitar-genius Mdou Moctar visits Portland, Oregon from his home country of Niger to record a hypnotic solo album of desert folk sung in Tamasheq. Most songs consist of intricate fingerstyle acoustic guitar with occasional electric guitar overdubs to accent the melodies.
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Jim O’Rourke – The Visitor
A fingerpicking folk odyssey that traverses through passages of delicate piano motifs, tribal drum circles, meditative ambience, celebratory horn arrangements, reverent organ drones, and even a cathartic drum solo, all within a single 40 minute track.
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Tim Buckley – Blue Afternoon [4menwithbeards]
Blue Afternoon continues the flowing jazz-folk of Tim’s previous release (Happy Sad) while starting to detour into the avant-garde atmospheres that would manifest more fully on his next two albums, Lorca and Starsailor. The songs and lyrics refuse to be boxed into one category as “joyful” or “lonely” or “sad” and instead reflect the intangible multi-dimensionality of feeling.
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Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left
Style: Chamber Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Brit-Folk
Moods: Rainy, Melancholy, Sombre, Intimate, Peaceful, Lonely, Contemplative, Pastoral, Mellow
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Western Skies Motel – Settlers
Somber ambient-folk with layers of delicate, circular fingerpicking and sparse arrangements of droning harmonium, piano, guitar feedback and the occasional chirping crickets. The soft reverb dampens everything like a light drizzle over the American prairie
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Bob Dylan – Live 1966: The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert (Bootleg Series Vol. 4)
Recorded at Royal Albert Hall in 1966
Format: 2xLP Box Set, 200g, Includes 12″ 20-page booklet of photos and essays
Style: Singer/Songwriter, Folk-Rock
Mood: Cryptic, Poetic, Reflective, Bittersweet, Rebellious, Romantic, Surreal, Intimate
Musical Qualities: Lyrical, Live, Melodic, Simple, Raw, Solo (LP1), Acoustic (LP1)
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Leo Kottke – 6 & 12-String Guitar
Style: American Primitive Guitar, Folk
Moods: Joyful, Warm, Playful, Summer, Contemplative, Rootsy, Pastoral, Nature, Loner
Musical Qualities: Solo, Acoustic, Fingerstyle, Instrumental, Technical
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Jack Rose – Opium Musick
Primitivist acoustic guitar instrumentals in the form of droney ragas, jovial ragtime, and pastoral fingerpicking
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Ryley Walker – Primrose Green
Jazzy Folk-Rock with dynamic songwriting, passionate vocals, and acoustic shredding accompanied by fluid drums, watery vibraphones, distorted keys and groovy upright bass. FFO Astral Weeks, Joni Mitchell, John Martyn, and Tim Buckley
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